Ben Warriner, DBIA
Chief Executive Officer
Morgan/Harbour Construction
Willowbrook, Illinois
With a 25-year career in the construction industry, Ben Warriner has built a reputation for integrity, hard work, reliability and genuine connection—core values that have fostered lasting collaborations with real estate and trade partners, turning visions into reality through trust and teamwork.
A Morgan / Harbour Construction team member since 2005, those values quickly moved Warriner into leadership roles, and in 2022 he was elevated to Chief Executive Officer at the age of 45.
Thanks to the firm’s strong leadership and its team members’ dedication, the design-build general contractor has achieved impressive 5x growth, increasing annual revenue from $50 million to its peak of over $300 million, adding multiple regional offices and serving clients throughout the country.
Warriner’s love of problem-solving has been a natural fit for construction.
“Every day in construction brings new challenges.” Warriner said. “I enjoy getting the team together to think beyond the traditional solutions and develop a strategy that moves the project and the industry forward.”
While Morgan / Harbour is recognized as a premier industrial and commercial builder, under Warriner’s leadership, the team has expanded its expertise to deliver complex facilities in corporate interiors, laboratory, manufacturing, aviation, waste transfer, cold storage and food/beverage clients.
At this stage in his career, Warriner finds his greatest satisfaction in mentorship. As CEO, his forward-looking role focuses on developing the next generation of leaders within the Morgan / Harbour team.
Reflecting on this passion, Warriner shares, “what I value most is connecting with our junior team members—whether it’s guiding a recent graduate in the development of both their technical and inter- personal skills, or coaching a mid-career professional through the balance of work and exciting life- changes.”
He extends that mentality to his volunteer efforts as a mentor to civil engineering students at his alma mater, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
A Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA)-certified professional, Warriner exemplifies a commitment to giving back through active involvement in numerous professional organizations, including DBIA, NAIOP, Association of Industrial Real Estate Brokers (AIRE), and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), as well as through philanthropic initiatives.
His contributions include past volunteer and fundraising efforts for Edward Hospital’s Heart Alive program and the St. Baldrick’s Foundation supporting childhood cancer research. Under Warriner’s leadership, Morgan / Harbour continues to prioritize community involvement as a core aspect of its culture.
Beyond a dedicated work ethic, Warriner credits his success to the ability to build relationships. From the start of his career, he understood the importance of fostering connections.
“When I was younger, I made a point to really get to know the people I was interacting with, whether clients, trade partners, or coworkers,” Warriner said. “By shaking out what really matters to the person you are sitting at the table with and finding a way to help meet their needs. That has made all the difference.”
Additionally—especially as the industry’s evolution seems in overdrive—the willingness to adapt has been essential to Warriner’s leadership.
“At the company level, that’s keeping a pulse on technology, processes, and trends that keep us smart and efficient,” Warriner said. “On a personal level, I work hard to have self-awareness, seek feedback, and make actionable positive changes.”
